Libertyville School District 70 Introduces New Hands-On, Stem-Focused Science Program

Training already has begun for Libertyville School District 70 kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in a new hands-on, exploratory science and engineering focused science curriculum called STEMscopes.

Elementary teachers throughout the district first field-tested STEMscopes at the beginning of the school year, said Erik Youngman, District 70's director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. "They appreciated that the structure of the program helped engage students through hands-on activities and rigorous labs that require students to actively problem solve and learn collaboratively."

The new curriculum is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, which are national learning standards for science curriculum adopted by the state of Illinois two years ago. Needing to adopt a new program to address new standards, Youngman said teachers favored STEMscopes because the program "provides opportunities for student engagement and offers a variety of online teacher materials to help meet student needs."

In the new curriculum, one of the fifth grade activities focuses on Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems by asking the question - "Why would adding a new fish to an aquarium cause the other fish to become sick?" Youngman said. "The student is expected to develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment and generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem."

Teachers supported STEMscopes because "students will experience and think about science rather than reading about science," he said.

It's not unusual for there to be lag-time from when standards are first adopted to when textbooks are available for school districts, Youngman said.

"The development of science programs by publishing companies typically takes a few years if done thoroughly, so Libertyville District 70 delayed review of science programs and focused initial science professional development on the New Illinois Science Standards, science and engineering practices such as developing and using models, and crosscutting concepts such as patterns and cause and effect," he said.

STEMscopes is an online science curriculum from Accelerate Learning. Each lesson includes a series of investigations and activities to bring science to life for students so they can "learn by doing" and fully engage in the scientific process, Youngman said.

"Teaching and learning with STEMscopes science activities will be a progressive shift that greatly enhances the amount of time students are actively doing science rather than reading about it aligned with grade level science expectations in Illinois," he said. "The rigor of the science experiences will prepare and inspire students for future learning and careers."